President Donald Trump said during his Memorial Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery that the sacrifices of America’s fallen servicemembers endure each and every day, and the debt Americans owe these selfless heroes only grows.
Trump spoke alongside Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shortly after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In his remarks, Trump paid tribute to those who were killed in action, laying down the ultimate sacrifice for the United States of America.
“The sacrifice that they made was not merely for a single battle, a long-ago victory, or a fleeting triumph decades or centuries past; their sacrifice was for today, tomorrow, and every morning thereafter,” Trump said.
“Every child that lives in peace, every home that is filled with joy and love, every day the Republic stands is only possible because of those who did what had to be done when duty called and the cost was everything to them and to their families,” he added.
Trump then spoke of the ever-growing debt Americans owe to those who laid down their lives in the name of the nation.
“Our debt to them is eternal, and it does not diminish with time. It only grows and grows and grows with each passing year,” he said, before emphasizing that the testament to their sacrifice is seen every single day, in every corner of American life.
“The greatest monument to their courage is not carved in marble or cast in bronze. It’s all around us: an American nation, 325 million strong, which will soon be greater than it has ever been before,” he added.
Earlier in his remarks, Trump addressed America’s Gold Star families, who have lost loved ones in the line of duty.
“Each of the servicemembers who have made the supreme sacrifice for our nation has also left an unfillable void and an unbreakable silence in the lives of all who love them,” he said before highlighting the heartbreaking realities that these families endure:
For the families of the fallen, you feel the absence of your heroes every day–these are great families; these are wonderful families–in the familiar laugh no longer heard, the empty space at Sunday dinner, or the want of a hug or a pat on the back that will never come again. Every Gold Star family fights a battle long after the victory is won, and today, we lift you up and we hold you high. Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving America the brightest light in your lives. It’s what you’ve done. We will never ever forget our fallen heroes, and we will never forget our debt to you.
Vice President JD Vance delivered remarks ahead of Trump, and urged Americans to consider the gravity of the sacrifice these young men and women have made.
“For my fellow Americans, especially those watching on television, consider the sum of all the moments that make a good life,” Vance said.
“Now, appreciate that countless strangers, people most of you never met – they gave up those moments in their own life, so that we could enjoy them in ours. And that is what Memorial Day is all about,” he added.
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